New Charlie Brown Special Kicks Off Tonight

Charles M. Schulz may be gone, but his legacy lives on in the new animated holiday special I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown! It premieres tonight at 8:00 ET/PT, 7:00 CT on ABC.

I Want a Dog for Christmas centers on Rerun, the lovable but ever-skeptical younger brother of Linus and Lucy. Stressed out by his big sister, Rerun turns to best friend Snoopy for holiday cheer and ends up getting a dog of his own when he invites Snoopy’s canine brother, Spike, for a visit. But when Spike shows up, the real trouble begins.

Rerun is a character that never appeared in the 1966 holiday favorite A Charlie Brown Christmas, which ABC will air again on Saturday. He made his animated debut in the 1976 Peanuts special It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown.

Like the other Peanuts TV outings, I Want a Dog for Christmas is directed and produced by Bill Melendez (long-time voice of Snoopy) and exec. produced by Lee Mendelson. The hour-long installment is the 50th Peanuts animated TV special. Scenes can be downloaded at http://abc.go.com.